Robert Yates doesn't know who will drive one of his cars and who will be the primary sponsor for the No. 88, but he insists it's full speed ahead with two NASCAR Nextel Cup cars for Robert Yates Racing in 2007. There has been considerable speculation that Yates might sell his team, but the owner put on a happy face Friday.

A devilish grin crossed Denny Hamlin's face as audio problems beset points leader Jimmie Johnson during a Thursday news conference for the Chase for the Nextel Cup finale. "He's already having mic trouble," the rookie said with a laugh.

Three drivers in the hunt for the Nextel Cup title might have seen their chances come to an end Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Mark Martin and Denny Hamlin were involved in wrecks and Jeff Gordon blew an engine, putting all three drivers far back in the standings with five races left.

In response to Talladega practice speeds in excess of 198 mph and a tightly-packed ARCA race on Friday, NASCAR officials mandated smaller holes in restrictor plates prior to Saturday's qualifying for the UAW-Ford 500.

Elliott Sadler's first spin in his new car suggested life could be different, and his outlook is even brighter after Sunday's GFS Marketplace 400. His debut in Evernham Motorsports' No. 19 Dodge began on the outside front row and ended with a 10th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway.

Volvo is back in the business of selling convertibles after being out since last year. The convertible, called C70, also serves as the coupe in Volvo's lineup, replacing a coupe not sold here for about two years.

It's been six weeks since we last left Long Pond, Pa., and fortunately the fantasy notes are still as fresh as if they'd popped out of the oven. It's still the same Pocono Raceway that hosted the Nextel Cup Series for 500 miles just last month and has put on a grand total of 57 events for NASCAR's top tour since the mid-1970s.

The Nextel Cup tour has made five annual stops at Chicagoland Speedway ahead of Sunday's USG Sheetrock 400, but there are plenty of results available for cross-reference, thanks to the track-construction boom of the last 10 years.